Torture of IBB detainees

Kayhan Ayhan

Among the more than 400 defendants in the IBB trial, which will begin on 9 March, are Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) Mayor and CHP presidential candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu. Construction had begun on a massive courtroom on the campus of the Marmara Type F Prison in Silivri, on the grounds that the existing courtroom would be insufficient. It has been learned that the building will not be ready in time for the first hearing on 9 March. The court panel has decided to begin the trial in Courtroom No. 1 of the existing building. Due to the limited space in the courtroom, only defendants in custody will be invited.

HUNDREDS OF KILOMETRES

İpek Elif Atayman, Director of Medya AŞ, who is among the defendants in the trial, was requested to be brought from Afyon Prison, where she is being held, to the Marmara Closed Prison hearing room for the trial to be held at 10 a.m. Atayman's family stated, ‘This is the clearest expression of the fact that, rather than conducting a legal case against the defendants in the IBB case, they are acting with an understanding of enemy laws in a manner that amounts to torture.’ Atayman’s lawyer, Eren Kaptan, said, ‘The letter we received from the prosecutor’s office says, “Be ready.” We want a transfer. What does Atayman have to do with Afyon? Where is Silivri, where is Afyon? There are hundreds of kilometres between them. This distance is also a hardship for Atayman." Atayman had stated that during the first days of his transfer to Afyon Prison, he was forced to sleep on the floor, was transported in handcuffs and in isolation, and was subjected to physical and psychological violence.

APPLICATION REJECTED

Mehmet Murat Çalık, the detained Mayor of Beylikdüzü, is also being held at İzmir Buca Prison. Due to his health problems, Çalık underwent surgery and received treatment at Izmir Katip Çelebi Training and Research Hospital. An application was made by his lawyer, Melih Koçhan, to have him transported to Silivri by plane. Koçhan said that there has been no response to the application yet. Noting that transporting Çalık by road would be problematic due to his health issues, Koçhan said, "We requested a transfer application, but they rejected it. We want Çalık to be transferred to a prison in Istanbul. He will be housed in Silivri during the trial process, but Çalık's health condition is not suitable for staying in the guesthouse. We want a regulation on this matter."

DIFFERENT CITIES

Fourteen people arrested in the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality case and imprisoned in Marmara Prison in Silivri were sent to prisons in different provinces.

• Murat Ongun, manager of Medya A.Ş., businessman Hüseyin Köksal, Çorlu High Security Prison

• Murat Kapki, owner of BVA, Nihat Sütlaş, businessman Adem Soytekin, Tuncay Yılmaz, General Manager of İmamoğlu Construction Company, and Serdal Taşkın, former General Manager of Kültür A.Ş., Tekirdağ F Type Prison

• CHP Beylikdüzü Municipality Council member Fatih Keleş, İmamoğlu's campaign director, political communications expert Necati Özkan, Kandıra F-Type Prison in Kocaeli

• Murat İlbak, owner of İlbak Holding; Ömür Yılmaz, owner of OMR Organizasyon; and Eyüp Subaşı, owner of Popüler Reklam, were sent to Bandırma T-Type Prison.

• Fatoş Ayık, member of the Board of Directors of Medya A.Ş., was sent to Gebze Women's Closed Prison.

FROM THE INDICTMENT

The indictment for the case was prepared on 8 December. The indictment sought prison sentences for 143 different offences, including “establishing and managing a criminal organisation”, “being a member of a criminal organisation”, “knowingly and willingly aiding the organisation without being part of its hierarchical structure”, “accepting bribes” and “giving bribes”. Imamoğlu was sought to be sentenced to between 849 years and 2,430 years and 6 months in prison.

Note: This article is translated from the original article titled İBB tutuklularına yol işkencesi, published in BirGün newspaper on February 26, 2026.